Music Changes the World

                  Hayato blinked, sitting a little taller before he laughed, “Well, you might be right with that.” Actually with out a companion on this trip Hayato suspected he would just spend the whole two day in pajamas in bed. That wasn’t the point though, especially since she agreed to come, so he didn’t mention it.

          What he did do though was stand up with a smile, “Well then, we should get going!” He offered the young woman a hand up, “If we stall for too long all the stores will close!” How strange he was actually more excited now than he had been before. Hayato figured it was just because he had company now, someone to do fun things with that would make the short trip more fun for him. Yeah, that sounded right.

Haruka took the offered hand, pulling herself to her feet with a bemused glance around. Alright. Impromptu road trip with her friend’s brother it was! “Don’t worry, I promise to be quick,” she assured him. “I’m not really a ‘shopper’,” she added, shrugging, as they headed to the waiting car. That might make her bad at being a girl, come to think of it.

          Her little flustering over his boyfriend squad made him chuckle, though Hayato missed what ever it was she said under her breath. then she mentioned packing and grey eyes blinked. Ha, that was right she would have to do that wouldn’t she? Hmmm, how troublesome. Didn’t girls take a long time to pack and decide? He didn’t really want to wait too long before leaving. 

          “I’ll get you stuff there, we can go shopping.” He said after a moment of thinking about what to do. “Consider it my apology for the unreasonable request.” Because he was being unreasonable, and Hayato knew that. Especially since he wasn’t entirely sure if he could consider Haruka and him to be friends, though he would like to think he could. 

And there it was. A completely absurd addendum to an already-absurd offer. Haruka knew he wouldn’t bat an eye at the expense, but she still resolved to purchase only the necessities, and as cheaply as possible for herself, because it mattered to ~her~. 

“I... a-alright., I suppose,” she said uncertainly. “But only because I know you’d go stir-crazy without someone to-” bother “-talk to over the weekend.” And she’d like to save Ichinose-san the trouble of having Hayato blowing up his phone constantly, she thought with a tiny smile.

          The idol only continued to smiled up at the composer from his spot crouched next to the couch, her reaction was pretty good. “Completely serious.” He manager arranged for him to have two days off back to back, a late birthday present, and then mentioned that the beach house owned by the company was unoccupied. His idea to bring someone along was completely last minuet, and he knew Tokiya would never agree to it. His brother was also probably too busy even if he would agree. 

           Haruka though… She seemed like she would go along with anything he asked of her. So the idol had told the driver to swing him by the dorms. her answer that she’d be delighted to come was a good sign, she didn’t say anything about an important project so maybe, just maybe, he could have some company for this little two day vacation. “My agency has a beach house just outside the city, and I was given the next two days off to relax. Going alone doesn’t sound fun though, so come with.” He paused before tilting his head a little, “I’ll even bring you back, so the boyfriend squad doesn’t have to worry.”

“Oh! How exciting! You deserve the time off,” she commented, knowing he’d been working hard lately, and pleased for him. But then he said something about bringing her back, and...

“B-boyfriend squad?” She said faintly, her voice high and breathy with disbelief. She shook her head vigorously and muttered something under her breath about being painfully single, before realizing that if they were actually going to do this, she had a problem.

“Pretty kinky???? NORMAL! I’m NORMAL! Honestly!!!!”

“It is, it’s a beauty, isn’t it!” Reiji smiles; the car is his life, his most treasured possesion. “The clutch system is the original one, so it, uh…it creaks. But it’s in great condition, I swear! I get it inspected every couple months or so.”

“Oh! Well, that certainly explains it!” Haruka returns the smile, inwardly begging god to please let her live. “It has so much character; it’s very you, Kotobuki-senpai~” 

Is it a little sad to be ignored? Sure. But rp is a hobby, and it’s supposed to be fun, and if you don’t think you’d have fun writing with me, then don’t do it. It’s really that simple. 

          Tokiya almost sighed in relief when Haruka finally agreed to head back home. As amusing as it was in a way to see her like this. He was about to tell her to wait there for a moment when she pulled out her phone and was trying to center them for a selfie. That did make him sigh, though it was with amusement more than anything. As he leaned a little closer Tokiya also reached out for her phone, “Let me.” With his longer reach it was a little easier to fit both of them in, especially once he leaned down a touch more to place a kiss on the composer’s cheek as he snapped the picture. Placing the device back in her hands he said, “Don’t publish that, and wait here a moment.” 

          Getting up from the piano bench, going over to the bar to both let them know he was taking his composer home, and to see if there was anything that had to be settled for her. Once that was done Tokiya returned to the piano where he had left his friend. “Nanami-san,” He offered her a hand as he spoke to her, “Let’s go home.”

The picture was of a beaming, rosy-cheeked Haruka, her dreamy smile starting to turn into widened eyes, the barest hint of surprise on her features as her friend pressed his lips to her cheek. She held her phone, staring down at it and not, as instructed, publishing it. ...alright, so she might have accidentally sent it to Hayato while trying to set it as the background for her phone, but she’s drunk! Give her some credit! She won’t remember it anyway.

Result: The Mentor

“H-Huh?” He weakly tried to pull from her hand, though unsuccessfully as his body still felt too numb. “W-Wait, Nanami, n-no–”

He sighed as she dragged him off towards the hotel, knowing there was no way to convince this girl otherwise once she set her mind to something. He decided that he’d at least let her do what she wanted if it got her out of the rain as well. Just because he felt like this didn’t mean he had to drag her down with him…

‘Her fingers are so… warm,’ he mentally noted as his heart fluttered. It hurt that it fluttered, hurt to think about how he could feel like this towards anybody that he’d so long lied to, worn that stupid mask for… If he cared so much, why did he allow himself to trick them?

He cringed just a little at the neon lights illuminating the dark atmosphere, and he involuntarily shivered as they stepped inside. The cold air conditioning gave him goose bumps, making the warmth of Haruka’s hand feel at least ten times warmer. The first he’d felt since his soul had gone numb, and of course it was freezing from the rain and risking a cold or hypothermia.

‘Well,’ he thought in his continued silence, ‘guess I at least deserve that…’

“Hush,” Haruka told him gently, lacing her fingers through his and squeezing to reassure him she was there. “Everything’s going to be fine. Just come with me.” She didn’t know if she was lying or not, but she was determined for it to become the truth. He was her first friend, the bright spot in an otherwise dreary day, and seeing him like this was breaking her heart. She’d get the truth out of him one way or another as to what had happened with Eiichi, but first... She watched with concern as he shivered while she checked in at the front desk one-handed, refusing to let him go for fear he’d run off without her. 

“It’s alright. Let’s dry you off,” she said, keeping her voice soothing and calm, feeling that she needed to fill the silence somehow. As she opened the door to their rented room and shut it behind them, she gently deposited Otoya on the bed, removing her hand with a promised, “I’ll be right back, I’m just getting towels.”

Heathers the Musical askfjskdfjsj